Drive Belts, Just Snapped Mine.

I snapped the drive belt on my Craftsman this afternoon, so I have been belt shopping. I didn't realize how many choices there are for belts. I ended up ordering a Gates A96, I figured for $12.50 I would give it a shot.

What does everyone else run? Are there any belts to look for or stay away from?

I guess I should tell you about how I went about breaking the belt. My dad has been in town this week and wanted to tear down a beaver dam today. He made a mess of the spot where I put my boat in the pond, then got the bobcat stuck in the creek and blew a hydraulic hose. I was using my Craftsman to level out the ruts he made and ended up in rut that was a little too deep. I was able to back up out of the rut, but couldn't go but so far and had to go back forward. I put it in 3 hi, and the belt popped when I let out of the clutch. Some how the belt slipped of the idler pulley and got in a bind. That 18 Kohler Magnum didn't even slow down. I don't know what kind of belt was on the tractor, it was green and was supposed to be fairly new when I bought the tractor a couple months ago.

I've had good luck with Huskee Kevlar Heavy Duty belts from Tractor Supply. Reasonably priced and just down the street from me. I suspect most any brand will hold up to normal wear and tear as long as the tension is correct.

Thanks, I figured some of the pullers might have some insight. I tried a search and didn't come up with much. There were just so many options from factory and aftermarket replacement belts to fractional horsepower and industrial belts. The only belt I could find in stock within 10 miles was a $32 Gates PowerRated FHP belt that is only rated for up to 17 horsepower. That may be the same type of belt that I broke, they are the same color green anyway.

I've had good luck with Huskee Kevlar Heavy Duty belts from Tractor Supply. Reasonably priced and just down the street from me. I suspect most any brand will hold up to normal wear and tear as long as the tension is correct.

I have seen those belts mentioned before, my dad also said he gets belts there. I have always just picked up a factory or aftermarket replacement for my yard tractors, but they can be expensive.

The Tractor Supply belts seem to be about 25 to 30% less than the regular Gates belts here. That was why I tried them. They are a blueish-green color. The pullers probably do have other sources. You might try a Google search or ebay.

Update! The new belt came today and I installed it this afternoon. I found out that standard belts do not work well in clutched applications. The belt does not want to disengage. It would probably be fine on a deck with an electric pto clutch.

Update! The new belt came today and I installed it this afternoon. I found out that standard belts do not work well in clutched applications. The belt does not want to disengage. It would probably be fine on a deck with an electric pto clutch.

Is this the main drive?
My clutch on my GT6000 works OK with an OTC belt. The only time it didnt was when I got it on the wrong side of a guide.

By standard I mean a Gates Hi-Power A belt. It is a standard black industrial/agricultural type belt. These post that I found after I ordered the belt seem to comfirm my findings. http://gardentractor...ulling/?p=98108

Another comment I found said these type belts are either on or off in relation to the clutch, there is no friction zone.

As far as I know all the BX type belts are raw rubber edged belts. Your going to have a hard time finding a V-belt that will transfer more horse power. They are notorious for not slipping. We had large ammonia compressors in our facility that we had to run wrapped belts on for this reason. They also generate a lot of friction when pulling into the pulley groove which in turn creates heat. On a garden tractor this is not an issue as long as you don't try and use the belt as a clutch. I was a plant engineer for 31 years and spent a lot of that time involved with large horse power belt drives. When set up properly they are still a good way to get work done.

Your using a belt to jackshaft to tranny system. To much power loss. Most pullers will change one of those belt drives to a chain drive.The only machines with belt drive that have a decent set-up is Sears Suburban and Wheel Horse.The geometry?of those belt systems just seem to be "right". You replace the front pulley with an adjustable one and you have instant gear ratio change. You also have to mount the motor in slots on the frame to be able to slide the motor back and forth as you change pulley diameter.
The final secret to belt drive success is to use a BX series belt, they are not reccommended for clutching , because they grab and don't slip. On my Wheelhorse B-Stock I have to shut the motor down to get it in gear. But my Trophys and Ribbons kind of make the effort worthwhile.